Polish Teachers’ Stress, Well-Being and Mental Health During Covid-19 Emergency Remote Education – a Review of The Empirical Data

Introduction Emergency remote education caused by the Covid-19 pandemic brought numerous threats to the mental health of all actors involved in education. The researchers focused mostly on mental health of students, neglecting to some extent mental health and well-being of educational staff. However, as mental health of teachers influences the quality of work, it is important to summarize findings concerning important factors influencing mental health of educational professionals during the school closure. Research Aim The aim of this study was to prepare an overview of findings from quantitative and qualitative research conducted in Poland during the period of emergency remote education. The studies included in the analysis were based on the data on mental health, well-being and occupational stress and stressors in the population of Polish teachers during the pandemic. Altogether data from 11 studies and two theoretical texts have been analyzed. Evidence-based Facts The studies analyzed confirmed lower well-being and higher levels of occupational stress (with emotional and somatic components). This state has been caused by a variety of stressors connected to the new educational reality, e.g. techno-stress associated with extensive usage of ICT and lower quality of important educational relations. Summary The results confirm the need to conduct an ongoing diagnosis of various aspects of teachers’ mental health, particularly in periods such as the emergency remote education where a lot of new stressors occur. There is also a substantial need to offer mental health promotion programs for teachers at both the individual and the institutional level.